balthazar

• How do you specifically define 'epic failure' tho? • The term 'benchmark' has been pushed toward being a 'bad thing' when ALL brands do it. A better term is called 'being competitive with market trends'. I guess I could also ask here; how do you define "benchmarking"?

We already know how the low quality C-class sells against the leader 3/4-Series from BMW.

Looks claustrophobic to be inside, but I like the visual, esp the clear roof. I like short hood/long deck cars; they're different. I whipped these 2 up a while back- I especially love the B-59 4-door coupe. Keep the rear doors functional and give it a 8-foot deckled (no open pickup beds!) and I'd drive it every day :

^ Another rare pic of Bill so old it may have been during the first few years of color film (note buses seemingly from the late 1920s in background). - - - - - Modified Auburn Speedster ~

Typical modern junk.

Upheaval is almost always unsettling. Stay healthy & aware, Suaviloquent, here's to hoping everything goes smooth. As far as loyalty goes, look at me : I'm loyal to Pontiac and vehicles made before 1970. I've been out of the 'loop' for 50 years! lol - - - - -

Meh- it's not doing it for me. And now the rear axle needs to move rearward also.

A-class comes with a paltry 188 HP 2.0T. That's more comparable to a 1.4T Cruze with 153 HP. ...why is the a-class 2.0 tuned down so much on horsepower???

Yeah- so the numbers should be good. The potential problem is any upcoming CT4- just not a necessary component of the Cadillac portfolio and should be shelved immediately.

If your saying 'to the CT5', I have to respond by saying 'pump the brakes'. CT5 has 'power issues' vs. the 3-series, but can be pitched 'fairly' against the TLX? Numbers, please: CT5 ~ 2.0: 237/258, 3.0: 335/400 3-ser ~ 2.0: 255/295, 3.0: 382/369 TLX ~ 2.4: 206/182, 3.5: 290/267 BMW 2.0 has 18 more HP & 37 more TRQ than the CT5 2.0. Meaningless. TLX 2.4 has 31 less HP & 76 less TRQ than the CT5. That's a lot, esp with more displacement. BMW 3.0 has 47 more HP & 31 less TRQ than the CT5 3.0. TLX 3.5 has 45 less HP & 133 less TRQ than the CT5. Power numbers for the CT5 are right in the thick of the game.

You mean new inline 6 cylinder gas engines? Ooops- that's a 10 decade old idea. - - - - - Vacation time- don't forget your sunglasses, Dad!

2002 / 3-series started it's segment up. MB was all about tinny, underpowered old-world sleds, and they followed BMW into that segment. Last year, the 3/4 series crushed the C-class in sales.

Young ocnblu, ready to decorate a Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte he just baked ~ - - - - Man, does she look pissed… that his hair looks so much better than hers!

Oooo, a shame BMW just gave up on being class leading there. Tho to be accurate, toyota had an 8-speed before BMW did, so maybe they never were in this category. Consumers are like totally driven by numbers, totally, and more numbers are more betterer. Maybe, as a full-line mainstream mass production brand, BMW should invest a little money into building their own units. Ooops, that ship has sailed with the budget crunch in Munich. Actually, those other competitors far outsell the MB's models (at least the cam-cam does), so mercedes loses here. Consumers are like totally driven by numbers, totally, and more numbers are more betterer.

Question is; will BMW upgrade the torque on their 3.0 ??? And when will they get on the 10-spd train??? And the 2 cars basically weigh the same- 78 lbs is nothing??? ??? ?

Gotta pay for the "municipal socialism" programs somehow. More to come in Seattle...

Front end is 90% Escala. I would not expect a lower series sedan to bring 100% of the concept to market as is- it's not the spot for what is more clearly a upper tier model :

When Autocar built cars :

As stated above, some brands still listed them as optional equipment in '55-'56.

• From what I read recently, Seattle specifically is seeing an explosion of homelessness, but that's not necessarily reflected nationwide. I believe Seattle is a 'sanctuary city', isn't it? • Has a 'correction' EVER reduced the debt? On the individual citizen level- it usually INCREASES it. Big Gov't is oblivious to controlling spending- boom or bust seems to have little effect on that.

IMO, the '96 ESX is still more advanced/ futuristic than both the current Charger and every other sedan on the market. It's not so much 'an idea from 20 yrs ago' as it is 'an idea that still hasn't arrived yet'.